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| Family: Asparagaceae (Yucca) |
| Flowers — color: white, size: 1.5" long, type: bell |
Chaparral Yucca has a hanging bell-shaped flower, about 1.5 inches long. Each bloom has six white petals that may develop a reddish tip.
The flower stalk rises several feet above the plant, then produces a panicle with at least a dozen side branches, each holding many flowers. The general form is a cone or Christmas tree of flowers. This yucca variety does not die back after blooming, usually in early summer.
Habit:
Chaparral Yucca is an evergreen perennial. Long thin leaves grow radially from a short stem. The form of the leaves resembles Mojave yucca. The leaves feel soft but have a hard, sharp tip. Rare for western Santa Barbara County, these specimens reside near a concrete foundation of some structure, probably part of the former horse stables at the end of St. Andrews. Perhaps some seeds arrived in a bale of hay, or they were planted by a lonesome cowboy.
These yuccas have a famous symbiotic relationship with a particular moth species:
- A fertile female moth climbs into a bloom and collects pollen
- She flies to another flower and deposits the pollen and her eggs directly on the stigma, guaranteeing pollination and a secure home for her larva
- As they grow, the caterpillars eat a few seeds
- After metamorphosis they burrow out of the seedpod.
Both species gain from this cooperation. If our area lacks this moth, this cluster probably consists of rhizomatic siblings from an introduced plant. Sunny.
Observations:
Near driveway (in the background of last photo) to VVCSD water tanks.